[ EDITORIAL ]

Recurring Mass Murder: Ban Sale Of Assault Weapons

Published: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 12:03 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 12:03 a.m.

Last month, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin — a West Virginia Democrat and gun owner, whose voting record earned him A ratings from the National Rifle Association — said the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary "changed the dialogue" about easy access to assault weapons in America.

Yet, when President Barack Obama proposed Wednesday that the federal government reinstate a federal ban on the purchase of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, leaders from both political parties were skeptical that Congress would — or even could — pass such measures.

John Boehner, speaker of the Republican-led House of Representatives, simply signaled that the appropriate committees would "review" the president's recommendations.

Meanwhile, the NRA reacted predictably, issuing a statement that said, "Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation."

So much for a change in the dialogue.

BAN SALE OF SEMI-AUTOMATICS

There are no simple solutions to reducing gun-related violence in society or thoroughly protecting children, whether they are at school or at the movies, in the company of friends or parents.

Yet the NRA's position ignores this crucial fact: The killer who took the lives of 20 first-graders — and six teachers and administrators who tried to protect them — last month in Newtown, Conn., could not have inflicted the quick carnage he did without a semi-automatic weapon and high-capacity magazines of bullets.

The attack on the schoolhouse adds to the evidence that Congress and the president should do what should have been done after similar mass murders in Aurora and Tucson and at Virginia Tech: Reimpose a ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons — and strengthen the law to close loopholes and add a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines.

The ban should include high-capacity, semi-automatic handguns, which have repeatedly been used in mass shootings, as well as semi-automatic assault rifles.

OWNERS AND DEALERS AGREE

Even if legislation to accomplish those goals is controversial, there does appear to be some room for consensus.

Fortunately, many Central Florida gun owners and dealers interviewed Wednesday by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune agreed with the president's call for expanding the reach of quick background checks on prospective purchasers — including those who patronize gun shows.

They also recognized the need to keep guns, especially semi-automatic ones, out of the hands of people with mental illnesses that drive them toward violence.

Taking these and similar steps should be among the priorities in the House and Senate — bolstered by broad public support.

"I tell you, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it," Obama said Wednesday. "And, by the way, that doesn't just mean from certain parts of the country. We're going to need voices in those areas, in those congressional districts where the tradition of gun ownership is strong, to speak up and to say this is important. It can't just be the usual suspects."

The right to bear arms consistently has been upheld by the highest courts in the land in cases involving the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. But reasonable controls should in place.

In 1994, Congress recognized that limits on the proliferation of assault weapons — such as limits on the purchase of machine guns, grenade launchers or heavy artillery — were warranted and constitutional.

Unfortunately, the federal Assault Weapons Ban contained loopholes. Because of political pressure, it was allowed to expire in 2004.

The massacres have continued.

This is not only the time to change the dialogue, this is the time to change the laws that make overly powerful military-style weapons and add-ons accessories to mass murder in the United States.

<p>Last month, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin — a West Virginia Democrat and gun owner, whose voting record earned him A ratings from the National Rifle Association — said the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary "changed the dialogue" about easy access to assault weapons in America.</p><p>Yet, when President Barack Obama proposed Wednesday that the federal government reinstate a federal ban on the purchase of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, leaders from both political parties were skeptical that Congress would — or even could — pass such measures.</p><p>John Boehner, speaker of the Republican-led House of Representatives, simply signaled that the appropriate committees would "review" the president's recommendations.</p><p>Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, openly doubted whether the Senate would pass an assault-weapons ban.</p><p>Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, merely committed to placing "all options" on the table.</p><p>Meanwhile, the NRA reacted predictably, issuing a statement that said, "Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation."</p><p>So much for a change in the dialogue.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>BAN SALE OF SEMI-AUTOMATICS</strong></p><p>There are no simple solutions to reducing gun-related violence in society or thoroughly protecting children, whether they are at school or at the movies, in the company of friends or parents.</p><p>Yet the NRA's position ignores this crucial fact: The killer who took the lives of 20 first-graders — and six teachers and administrators who tried to protect them — last month in Newtown, Conn., could not have inflicted the quick carnage he did without a semi-automatic weapon and high-capacity magazines of bullets.</p><p>The attack on the schoolhouse adds to the evidence that Congress and the president should do what should have been done after similar mass murders in Aurora and Tucson and at Virginia Tech: Reimpose a ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons — and strengthen the law to close loopholes and add a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines.</p><p>The ban should include high-capacity, semi-automatic handguns, which have repeatedly been used in mass shootings, as well as semi-automatic assault rifles.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>OWNERS AND DEALERS AGREE</strong></p><p>Even if legislation to accomplish those goals is controversial, there does appear to be some room for consensus.</p><p>Fortunately, many Central Florida gun owners and dealers interviewed Wednesday by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune agreed with the president's call for expanding the reach of quick background checks on prospective purchasers — including those who patronize gun shows.</p><p>They also recognized the need to keep guns, especially semi-automatic ones, out of the hands of people with mental illnesses that drive them toward violence.</p><p>Taking these and similar steps should be among the priorities in the House and Senate — bolstered by broad public support.</p><p>"I tell you, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it," Obama said Wednesday. "And, by the way, that doesn't just mean from certain parts of the country. We're going to need voices in those areas, in those congressional districts where the tradition of gun ownership is strong, to speak up and to say this is important. It can't just be the usual suspects."</p><p>The right to bear arms consistently has been upheld by the highest courts in the land in cases involving the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. But reasonable controls should in place.</p><p>In 1994, Congress recognized that limits on the proliferation of assault weapons — such as limits on the purchase of machine guns, grenade launchers or heavy artillery — were warranted and constitutional.</p><p>Unfortunately, the federal Assault Weapons Ban contained loopholes. Because of political pressure, it was allowed to expire in 2004.</p><p>The massacres have continued.</p><p>This is not only the time to change the dialogue, this is the time to change the laws that make overly powerful military-style weapons and add-ons accessories to mass murder in the United States.</p>